Young Scholar: Years 1 through 6
by madsci111
Summary: Originally from my LJ. A product of meta: Why would someone capable of a Patronus at 13 be with his age-peers? Is there a 'skip grades' process at Hogwarts?  Subsequent years will have HP/CD, as wanted to make it a more equal pairing than canon.
1. 1a Discovery

As I mentioned in the summary, this set of narratives will eventually be HP/CD, but it won't be until much later (GoF). As for the meta stuff: I had a bunny I ended up abandoning which included a mechanism by which prospective students who were having control problems could be accepted a year early. Usually, it would mean the equivalent of Hermione starting with Cho, with Severus (9 Jan) the most extreme case before Harry.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own them, I just mess with them. Everyone you recognize is JKR's.

A tiny, pale boy with inky black hair and emerald eyes, marred only by a lightening-bolt-shaped scar on his forehead and huge NHS glasses, was trudging 'home' from Magnolia Crescent Primary School. His gargantuan cousin, who had turned nine the previous day, had decided to use his cricket bat to give Harry, for that was the little boy's name, a bruise across his buttocks in sport class that day. This had gotten _**Harry**_ in huge trouble with their teacher for being unable to sit still for the rest of the day, as he was constantly shifting his weight to ease the pressure of the hard seat on the bruise. Harry would be lucky to be able to go to school the next day, as Uncle Vernon would likely lock him in the cupboard for a few days without food. This circumstance would be immensely unfortunate, as he would miss his class's lesson with Miss Hunibeor on Tuesday.

Miss Huni, as she asked her students to call her, was the only teacher Harry had ever had that was never taken in by the Dursleys' (his relatives) fibs about him. It didn't hurt that he was the only one in his class that could, without prior lessons, play complicated classical pieces. He and Caroline Churcham, who had taken violin lessons for two years before primary, then restarted with her class at the beginning of the current school year, were to play a Paginini Caprice. His skill, of course, did not endear him to the Dursleys, especially because Dudley was forbidden to enter Miss Huni's classroom after smashing his trumpet two weeks into the fall term.

The Dursleys' disgust for Harry's talents was only heightened when strange things started happening while Harry improvised or just played around with sounds as warm-ups when practicing, usually in the park down the street in good weather, or at the train station. Harry especially liked practicing in the park when the weather was good, as sometimes people tossed down 50p or pound coins, assuming he was a busker. These served as his pocket money, as the Dursleys would never unbend enough to let him have money for replacement strings.

By the time he was let out again Monday evening, Harry was healed of his injuries, to the surprise of the doxy that lived in the niche at the apex of the cupboard, as from her sensing, she thought he had fractured his wrist. She thought she had also sensed healing energy, but as a mildly dark creature, she wasn't made to be accurate at determining types of light magic.

"Harry, are you feeling better?"

"Yes, Miss Huni."

"Good. Now, class, please split into your groups and do your warm-ups. Today we'll be practicing for the year-end recital."

Harry and Caroline settled down to warm up. Harry started with scales, then started improvising for limbering. What he didn't know was that his anger, expressed through the music, was so entwined with his magic that anyone within a kilometer with even the slightest sensitivity to the arcane could feel the energy. Miss Huni decided to ignore it until it started feeling active. Mrs Figg and all of her half-kneazles sat wondering at the waves of anger coming from a few blocks away. Petunia hastily put down her teacup in the middle of a recitation of gossip regarding the new couple that moved into Number 12. A snow-globe keyed to Harry's magic, located in a school Headmaster's office hundreds of kilometers away, started to glow a disturbing red as Harry lost control. Magic-blind, the truly Muggle Vernon Dursley attributed his tight chest and tingling hands to not listening to his physician for fifteen years, not his nephew scrubbing out his anger on a violin. Two minutes later, Vernon Dursley's secretary found him writhing on the floor in the throes of what appeared to be a severe heart attack.

Just as the energy started shifting, Miss Huni almost yelled, concluding the warm-up period.

"Please start practicing your pieces, you only have two more weeks before the recital. Harry, that means you!"

Inside Amanda Hunibeor's head, she was panicking, though it didn't show on her face. _**I need to bring this to Cousin Minnie's attention SOON! He's showing too much power and control over his magic for a not-quite-eight-year-old, despite who he is.**_

__Two days later, a letter on Muggle stationary came from the Scotland Muggle/Magic mail hub. It arrived at Minerva McGonnagall's elbow while she stopped to have a cuppa with her cousin, Jamie Wood, neé Hunibeor, before returning to Hogwart's from her nephew Connall's wedding.

"Oh, look, it's from Mandy! I'll read the rest later. Sorry to abandon you in the middle of the lovely tea, Jamie, but I've lost track of time; I have an appointment with Albus in five minutes."

"Albus, have you had any strange readings from young Harry's alarm? I just received a letter from a cousin who's his music teacher.. He lost control of his magic while playing violin and the energy he generated was sent to give his uncle a heart attack, from what she can piece together. Harry must be brought in early! The last time something this drastic happened was with young William, but Molly, as a former healer, could temporarily bind his magic as needed to tide him over until his 10th birthday."

"Yes, Minerva, Harry's snow-globe was glowing much of the afternoon a few days ago. I got no readings from the wards, so I decided to wait until you got back from your nephew's so you could investigate. Go visit your cousin for a few days to get the lay of the land, then report if a bind or an early admission is the better option."

Less than two days later, Minerva McGonagall stormed into the Headmaster's office, hissing like her Animagus form.

"Albus, he's apparated and cast multiple color change and Transfiguration spells! Not to mention that horse of an aunt mistreats him and told him nothing! A bind just wouldn't do. I hate bringing children in early, and he'll be barely eight when the term starts. It might be best to send someone to explain the situation, someone else who came early."

"A capital idea, Minerva! Unfortunately, Bill has just left for his new post in Egypt, so the only early entrant readily available is Severus, and he would refuse on principle. I suppose I'll just have to persuade him," Dumbledore agreed with a blinding twinkle.


	2. 1b Diagon Alley

Miss Huni asked Harry to stay behind after class.

"Harry, two weeks after holidays start, make sure you are in the park, I'll have someone with me that needs to speak with you."

"Severus, I need you to go to speak to a new student, one in the same situation you were accepted under. He lives under wards such that a Muggle or Squib is the only one able to see the house, so you'll need to meet up with Amanda Hunibeor, one of Minerva's squib cousins, a music teacher at the local primary school. Also, make sure you are in Muggle-acceptable clothes, or apply a Glamour."

"Good afternoon, Professor Snape. I assume you're ready to meet Harry and explain all this to him."

"Potter? Oh, no…I'm not doing this! Albus can _**rot**_ before I deprive myself of another few peaceful years."

As he turned to leave, a tiny boy with a shock of black hair and glasses came running out of seemingly nowhere.

"Hello, Miss Huni! Is this the person you said wanted to speak with me?"

At her nod, he sobered and introduced himself, asking what the conversation was going to be about. After Amanda's explanation of who Professor Snape was, said man had regained his composure and explained that normally one is accepted to magic school at 11, but occasionally someone is so powerful that they need to start training early before they blow themselves up. Of course, Harry, being the bright little boy he is, asked if the magic he was going to learn was like Gandalf's. Of course, Severus had no clue who this 'Gandalf;' was, so Miss Huni answered that the two were similar, but very few people could use staves or instruments like the Istari.

Snape grabbed Harry's shoulder, Apparating them to the courtyard behind the Leaky Cauldron. He tapped the appropriate bricks more slowly than usual, telling himself it was because he was distracted, not being kind to this slip of a Potter, smaller than his godson, Draco, and the same size as his 6-year-old niece.

Harry looked around, amazed at all the people and shops. He was about to ask if they could go to the magical music shop, but Snape steered him toward a large white building guarded by Orc-like beings. He figured that he'd trust Snape to not let him get hurt, for now, anyway.

"Now, Potter, I know that no one has explained the significance of your parents' deaths to you, but you need to keep a low profile, you're famous in the wizarding world, so keep your eyes down and _**don't**_ show your scar."

"Why?"

"We don't have time, and I don't have the inclination to tell you; get a copy of the Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts later."

After retrieving some money from the bank and getting a special pouch/wallet that could give him pounds or galleons, Harry sprinted to the music shop he saw before. As he looked around in awe, he felt a tug in his stomach, not like when the Professor brought them, but like the feeling he got when improvising before strange things happened. He followed the tug to a dark back corner, where he found a 3-foot tall harp leaning against the wall with a book next to it. When he reached out to touch the beautiful wood, carved so that the grain looked like rushing water, he felt a 'click' in what he now suspected was his magic, and heard a ringing chime of a perfect A 440. He picked up the harp, relieved it was lighter than it looked, and took the book under his arm, returning to the front of the store.

The shopkeeper, seeing the tiny boy with a harp almost as big as he was, helped him get the harp and book onto the counter, then turned to him.

"Didja want ta buy this? I don't think a lil' tyke like you can play this."

"I want to try. I've been playing violin at school for almost a year, I'm pretty good now. Besides, I felt a pull in my magic towards it when I came in. It felt better when I touched the harp, so I guess its destiny."

"I suppose so. Now that harp's been sitting around the shop for nigh on 400 years according to the inventory books. I'll sell it to ya, with the book, for 15 galleons, 7 sickles."

Harry, remembering he had an advisor with him, turned to Professor Snape, who had just stepped out of the shadows, silently asking his opinion regarding the price. At Snape's nod, Harry removed 16 galleons from his pouch, took the shrunken package, and turned to leave.

"Keep the extra, just don't tell anyone who came in here today."

Continuing out the door, the little boy's hair moved off his forehead for a second, revealing a lightening bolt scar.

Running to keep up with Professor Snape's long strides, the two reached a shop that seemed to be a tailor's. The proprietor bustled Harry onto a fitting platform, covering her surprise that a child tiny enough she had to alter some dress robes from the 6-year-old rack needed Hogwart's robes. She also marveled that Professor Snape, the bane of her clerks' existence, and the reason half of them left within a year, was tolerating a student.

A few minutes later, a blond boy and a short man with glasses came in.

"Hello, Madame Malkin! School robes for my Cedric here, please!"

"I'll be with you in a moment, Amos. Young man, please step up onto the vacant platform while I finish pinning these robes."

The tall blond boy turned to Harry and introduced himself as Cedric Diggory. Shortly afterward, Harry's robes were finished, so he stepped down to pay and leave.

"It was nice meeting you, Cedric, I hope we see each other again at school."

"Aren't you a bit young for Hogwart's, you're the same size as Ginny and Luna, and they're not quite seven."

"I'm eight in two weeks, and I was accepted this morning. Anyway, I'll see you later."

Again, as the tiny boy whirled to go, his eyes snapping, his fringe moved, revealing a mark. Amos and Professor Snape were the only ones that saw that Harry's eyes were glowing the color of the curse he survived. As the two brunettes left, Amos stood, dazed with shock at the personage they had encountered, the implications whizzing through his head.

Thankfully, Harry had calmed down by the time the two reached the book store. Harry grabbed an endless basket, then started on his crusade for knowledge, pulling any book off the shelf that wasn't labeled 'Advanced' or a year level higher than 3rd. He ended up with 70 books: all of the required books through year 3, chosen with a clerk's help, as Snape had wandered off to the Potions and Alchemy section to browse, and 2 books from every section in the store besides the Dark Arts, though he did have a book on Light Necromancy, as it was technically Green Way magic, and therefore would not damage him. His particular favorites were a magical theory book, a spell-crafting book, and a wandless magic book. The book Snape recommended also looked interesting.

On Harry's way to the register, which meant going through the sport section, he encountered two boys arguing.

"Higgs, you idiot! Of course the Keeper's the best position, the Seeker isn't even part of the action until the last few minutes, the Keeper's what makes sure no one leaves in utter boredom before the end of the game. That's why I'll be a Keeper this year."

"Wood, why can't you see that the Keeper's just a glorified target? The Chasers aim for you, you duck out of the way to avoid getting an ouchie, the Quaffle goes in. The game would be better off without a Keeper."

Harry, a bit freaked out by the loud argument, asked, "Excuse me, but may I get by? I need to get to the register."

"Whoa, look at the little mite! Are you sure you can read? Those books are quite advanced for a 6-year-old," Wood said.

"First of all, I know I'm short, no need to point it out, second, I received my Hogwart's acceptance this morning. By the by, which book would you two suggest from this section? I'm trying to build my library, so I'm getting a few books from each section..."

"Where are your parents, kid?" Higgs sneered.

"My parents have been dead since I was a baby. I'm here with Professor Snape."

Higgs, knowing that if his head of house caught him bullying his charge, he'd get Ts on all his assignments for the whole term out of spite. Wood was just plain scared.

The two parted, letting him through, and as Harry went between them, Wood placed a copy of Quidditch through the Ages in Harry's basket.

Once all the books were in a bottomless bag, Harry went next door to the apothecary, forgetting about letting Snape know where he was, unused as he was to people caring where he went, as long as he completed the appointed tasks. He thought the dingy shop smelled more like a compost pile than an herbalist's.

"Excuse me, sir, is the first year potions kit a boxed kit, or do you have a list I could borrow to get supplies off the shelves?"

"You are an entering first-year? Let me see your letter."

"Oh, I don't have one, the Professor has been telling me what I need as we go."

"Well, I can't give you the list until I see a letter or a note from a guardian."

"OK. Can I look around for a while, then? I'll not touch anything."

"Very well. Be careful."

Of course, Snape snapped out of his perusing when his proximity alarm went off, signaling that Potter had gone more than 10 meters away. Panicking at what Albus would say, and a bit of worry at such a tiny person wandering around such a crowded area alone, he hurried to the register, passing Wood and Higgs, who seemed to be arguing, but that wasn't his problem right now.

"Have you seen a little boy, black hair and glasses?"

"Yes, why?" The clerk answered, popping her gum.

"Because he's my charge for the day, idiot! Do you want Dumbledore mad at us?"

Higgs crept up to Professor Snape, "Sir? Was he tiny, like a five-year-old, but buying school books?"

"You saw him? Any clue where he went, Higgs?" Snape growled.

A bit cowed, Higgs answered, "I think I saw him turn to go to the apothecary, sir. Is he an early entrant? I didn't think Hogwart's took students that young…"

"Enough, Higgs, but thank you." Already turning to go.

"Ah, hello, Professor Snape, come to stock up for the year?"

"No, Edward, I came to retrieve my charge, he's escaped my supervision."

"The little mite, black hair, glasses? He's looking around. I couldn't give him the list for supplies unless he had a letter."

"Professor Snape!" Seeing the man's thunderous expression, he shrunk into himself, looking much less boisterous. "Oh…" Turning to the clerk, he asked, "Sir, should open containers of aconite and asphodel powders be next to a leaky bottle of wormwood extract? I'd think the fumes would be bad to have in a place so filled with glass. Also, wouldn't it be dangerous to have open anyway?"

Snape looked very angry, but also surprised. He dragged Harry by the arm into an aisle so the clerk couldn't see or hear their whispered conversation.

"Why didn't you come find me when you finished getting your books?"

"Ummm…I've never really had anyone worried about where I was before. I'm sorry."

Looking a bit frustrated, Snape sighed, "Apology accepted. Now how did you know what those ingredients would do?"

"What, you mean the danger to customers? Oh, I saw someone in my head staggering around as if they had been poisoned, clutching their throat and stomach. I also had this impression that the combined fumes would make people sleep. Is this weird?"

"Its rare, much like what you described to the music shop clerk about your harp. Have you had 'impressions' about anything else?"

"Well, when I'm cooking for my Aunt I seem to _**know**_ what will taste good. I haven't needed measuring spoons or cups for years, even when Aunt Petunia gave me take-away leftovers to duplicate."

"Interesting. Well, let's get your supplies. Now that I'm here, I can authorize your purchase, as it's my class."

"Now for the wand. We need to go to Ollivander's. You'll need to do this mostly on your own."

"OK, Professor. Is there some kind of connection between type of wand and ability?"

"It is generally accepted that the length determines accuracy, much like the difference between a pistol and a rifle. The wood and core usually are best for certain types of magic. For example, a healer almost always has a willow wand with unicorn hair or phoenix feather."

By this point, they were inside the shop, so it wasn't that surprising to Severus for Mr. Ollivander to congratulate him on the accuracy of his explanation. Harry, on the other hand, jumped and ended up peeking out from behind Professor Snape's robes like a little kid hiding behind his mother when he's feeling shy.

"Oh, I'm sorry, little one. Are you here for a training wand?" Ollivander asked, peering around Professor Snape, "I didn't know you had a son, Severus."

"I don't. Mr. Potter is here for early admission, he needs a true wand."

"Mr. Potter? My, my…Well, let's get on with it!" The measuring tape leapt to its function while Ollivander started puttering around, gathering wands. By the time it was measuring between Harry's nostrils, causing him to cross his eyes drastically, Octavius had returned with a small pile of wands. "Now, let's see…"

They had tried almost all the wands in the shop, only one was left. Octavius handed it to Harry carefully. Harry waved the wand, producing a faint aurora borealis effect along the path.

"That's not nearly the reaction I was expecting, this is the brother wand to…" He raised his eyebrow at Severus' gesture to not say the rest. "How does it feel, Mr. Potter?"

"What do you mean, sir?"

"What he means, Harry, is that he needs to know if you feel your magic flowing. A wand is supposed to pull magic from your core to your hand, so you should feel a tug when you acquire your first wand."

"No, it feels like there's a bulgy place in my wrist, like I have a really tight bracelet on. Professor, is it safe to talk about the other things here?" Harry asked, patting his pocket briefly.

Nodding, Severus urged him to tell Mr Ollivander everything, about his uncle, his new harp, and the 'potion sense'. Needless to say, Mr Ollivander was a bit surprised.

"I can see how you could say you felt clogged. You don't have enough channeling capability right now. For the first time in 450 years, this shop has to make a multi-core wand! I've made a staff and some sorcerer's rods for adult wizards that need more control or channeling than a wand can give…I'm sorry, young Potter, but I must look through my family's knowledge on multi-core wands before I can adjust your wand. Severus, is it possible to arrange for young Harry to come again in a week, with Filius, maybe? I'll need his Dwarven Wardmaster skills for the testing."

"Very well, I'll try to get Flitwick and Potter here without entanglements with Albus."

"Thank you, Professor Snape. When we get back near my house, could you do a few spells for me? I can put everything but a few books in the trunk, shrink the trunk, and put it and the books in my rucksack. That way, I can say I went to visit Miss Huni and she loaned me a few books."

"Very well. Would it be easier to do this at your house? From what I've been told, your house is invisible to magical people except you unless you show them."

"OK, but before we go back, you might want to change your robes back into the trench coat. It also wouldn't be a good idea for you to come in."

"Well, here we are…"

Given Harry's trepidation at entering the house, Severus decided that he would stay near for a few minutes. He settled on the garden wall under a Notice-Me-Not charm. It was good that he did stay, as a few minutes later, he heard a piercing screech.

"You little brat! Where were you all day? You were supposed to weed the garden today."

"I was visiting Miss Huni, like I told you. I didn't expect my visit to be so long, but she had a few books for me to look through for next year's lessons."

::Very good story, let's just hope they don't ask to see the books.::

"Oh, did she? You'll have to give them back, as you won't have time to read this summer." Vernon said, almost purring at the torture he could inflict over the summer, with no appointments the boy had to keep.

"Oh, because it would be no trouble to do all my chores in the morning and evening, then visit her for a few hours at noon."

"YOU ARE TO STAY IN THE PROPERTY ALL SUMMER, YOU HAVE BEEN TOO DISOBEDIENT THE LAST FEW WEEKS TO DESERVE SUCH PRIVILEDGES!"

"Aunt Petunia, in what way have I been disobedient? Today I can understand, I was later getting back than I had said, but what other time have I not been a portrait of good behavior? Just for my own edification, you understand…"

"GET OUT, YOU UNGRATEFUL WRETCH! IF YOU LIKE YOUR MISS HUNI SO MUCH, GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE AND GO STAY WITH HER!"

"Very well. May I gather my things? I would hate to clutter your perfect house with my belongings. Grant me 5 minutes, then I'll be gone as much as I can, as I fear Dudley may still see me at school, but I can't help that. I may also bring by papers to transfer guardianship."

"Just go…"

Within a few minutes, Harry reappeared, focusing immediately on Snape sitting on the wall, surprising Snape for the umpteenth time that day.

"So where does Amanda live? Its getting a bit late, and I'll probably need to do a few spells for her, to allow you to live with her comfortably."

"It's this way, but it should be fine, she has a big brownstone. Her house is actually bigger than the Dursleys', one reason they hate her so much, a teacher lives better than they do."

A few blocks later, Harry was bounding up a set of stairs in an older part of town, ready to ring the bell. Before he could do so, Miss Huni opened the door.

"Harry, Professor, what are you doing here? I thought you'd be back at the Dursleys' by now."

"We did, Miss Huni. They were angry that I was late getting back from my visit with you, so they threw me out, this time it's for good, I think."

With a bit of pity on her face, she let them in. Harry went to the guest room she set aside for him a month into first term. While he unpacked what he could, the few books still normal size, his shrunken trunk, and his things from the Dursleys', Amanda and Severus went to the parlor so he could fill her in.

"I assume you stuck around for a few minutes after you took him back. Were they bad?"

"I have nothing to compare it to, but, yes, they were exceedingly cruel for the magnitude of the rule-breaking. I may not have clear eyes when it comes to most children, but this was just wrong, on every level. They were mad that an almost-eight-year-old was having some fun for one day in the summer. My father was no angel, but he at least let me wander during the summers."

"Well, thank you for escorting him here. Just don't let Dumblebutt hear everything. From what Minnie says, he has lost sight of the people in the great chess game he runs."

"Don't worry, I won't. I'll need to convey parts to Minerva and Filius Flitwick, but I'll limit disclosure as much as possible. Oh, before I forget, Harry needs to go back to Ollivander's a week from now. Filius will come get him, as Octavius requested his help with something."

"OK. Well, I guess I'd best get that paperwork out that I prepared at the end of term to petition for a guardianship transfer for safety reasons. Thank you for all you've done for my little virtuoso, today is the happiest he's been for a while."

"It was my pleasure, as you could tell, I wasn't that happy about it for a while, but he's a wonderful child. Well, good-night."

"Night."


	3. 1c Back at Hogwart's

As soon as Severus reached the front hall of the school, Albus' head appeared in the Great Fireplace, requesting his presence in the Headmaster's office.

"So, Severus, how did the shopping trip go?"

"It went well, except for a small problem in the apothecary. He's also met a few of his peers, Diggory, Wood, and Higgs. Unfortunately, his relatives did not seem to find his absence for the whole day acceptable. He was evicted from his own home and is now installed in a guest room at Miss Hunibeor's home. She apparently already has paperwork ready to submit to transfer guardianship from the Dursleys on grounds of abuse and neglect. While I was on the Alley, I was asked to give some messages to colleagues, so if you'd excuse me?"

"Very well, Severus. Good night."

After Severus swept out, Dumbledore sat contemplating the level of mutual respect that seemed to exist between Severus and Harry. It was to a worrisome degree, as it seemed that Severus had found the only child other than his niece and godson whom he could stand for long periods of time. If it came down to it, would Severus follow orders, or protect Harry? He would have to think about this.

"Minerva, I'm back from the loveliness of the Alley." Severus proclaimed slightly sarcastically, standing in the doorway to her office. He made a swift gesture to banish all the portrait occupants, then settled into an armchair next to the table they used for their weekly chess game. After she settled in the other chair, he got down to the business of summarizing his trip, including Amanda's warning.

"Well, I'm just glad that he's with Amanda now. I hope he likes it there. I never wanted him to go to that harridan, despite the blood protection. I'm still in shock that banshee is blood to our lovely Lily."

"He seems to like staying with Amanda; he even has a room there already. Apparently he's been thrown out for a night or two at a time during the past year and stayed with her. She has paperwork ready to get guardianship of Harry from the Dursleys, so that's taken care of. I'd best be going, I have some ingredients that need to be stored immediately. Goodnight, Minerva."

"Goodnight, Severus."

The next morning, Severus caught Filius outside for a walk. He outlined the plan Ollivander had, which Filius was ecstatic to be in on. The small man squeaked in joy that he would be privy to the first multi-core wand construction in centuries, and for the child of his favorite student! He also, as a mischievous being, liked getting one over on the seemingly omniscient Headmaster.

The day finally came for Harry to return for his wand customization. Filius made his excuses to Albus, using the partial truth that he was visiting his good friend Tavy for a magical theory chat. He even took the trouble of checking for tracking charms before he apparated to Amanda's parlor, removing the two he found.

When he arrived, he found Amanda and Harry playing cards. He was early, so he sat to listen.

"Mandy, why don't you hate me, or your family, for having magic and you not?"

"Well, unlike the situations you found in your book, the McGonagall clan is much less stringent on the excommunication of squibs in the family, probably because one of the squibs in our line came up with the base for one of the important common potions, Pepper-Up. Therefore, I'm still welcomed at the family picnics and my parents have given me all the gadgets that allow a squib to be part of the wizarding world. I also was supposedly a very powerful witchling until I got dragon pox when I was 7, despite the immunizations."

Seeing the fear on his face, she assured him there was a semi-cure now, if he ended up getting it at school he would be magically weak for a couple weeks, like with chicken pox affecting magic, not physical strength.

Feeling this would be a good time to speak up, Filius squeaked, "Well, Mr Potter, are you ready to go? And don't worry, Severus has made a huge batch of the cure for the first weeks of classes, as its not unusual for students to bring it to school with them if their younger siblings had it over the summer, therefore infecting the Muggle-raised students. Your mother had to spend the second week of her first year in the infirmary, but she was fine in class by the first of October."

Relieved, Harry grabbed his money pouch and put a hand on the arm of a man who was barely taller than him.

As the two walked from the Apparition Point in the back court of the Leaky Cauldron to Ollivander's, Harry asked many questions about the nature of magic that were unclear in the magical theory books he had acquired.

Stunned at his eloquence, Filius asked him, "Harry, were you ever given the opportunity to do things early in your Muggle schooling?"

Looking sad, Harry replied, "Sorta, I was actually supposed to pull a Matilda, you know the Raold Dahl book? She skipped from 1st form to lower 6th from one year to the next. Last year, I heard the school psychologist trying to persuade the headmistress that I would thrive better if I were tested for a scholarship to this school for the gifted with the option to board. I looked in the library after Aunt Petunia forbid it, the school he mentioned would have allowed me to take my GCSEs, like the NEWTs, by my 10th birthday. I actually had Mandy look into my doing a summer school thing so I end up with both muggle and wizarding certificates. Hopefully that could allow me to do healing and muggle medical studies. I was looking at the healing potions book I bought, and it occurred to me that things would be so much simpler if things like SkeleGrow and other targeted potions could be injected into the region where needed. That would mean changing the formulas a bit so they don't react to light or steel badly. Also, some of the surgical techniques would benefit from being combined. I know I would never be able to use these changes to help Muggles, but…"

By the end of this speech, they were at the door of Ollivander's, where Tavy was turning the sign around to the 'closed for customization' message and darkening the windows.

"Well, young Potter, are you ready for the testing?"

"I suppose so, sir. What do I need to do?"

"Before we start, Filius, could you put up the Unbreakable and Imperturbable Wards while I set out the materials, then we'll need to use our mage sight while you, Harry, touch your index fingers, right, then left, to each sample."

First they tested to make sure he didn't need a marbled wand, adding another wood. Harry's magic chose a piece of Laurelin. Thankfully, when Ollivander cast the spell for combining the woods while Harry was holding the original wand, it only took a few small slivers to add a twining vine, golden against the dark brown of the holly, leaving enough for a wand, or inlay on a staff. This occurrence, of course, floored the two old wizards.

They then had Harry test various cores, again following the right hand/left hand protocol. Quite a few times, Ollivander winced, as if a bright light flared at Harry's proximity to a core. When this happened, they had him try other samples of the same type of core, finally ending up with a darcorn hair and a strange silvery wire that had Professor Flitwick gaping.

"Phoenix, darcorn, and mithril? That's quite a wand! But where did you get the mithril, Tavy?"


	4. 1d Adoption

"Miss Hunibeor, please come back to Ms Reynold's office," the receptionist announced.

Mandy went up to the desk, "Am I supposed to leave Harry out here? I was led to believe the child in question was supposed to attend the session."

"Oh, yes. He'll have to go to the playroom about ¾ of the way through the interview, but yes, take him on in."

Mandy and Harry went in, Mandy with a huge folder of documents and paperwork, Harry with his backpack containing a chemistry book and one of his History books Professor Flitwick had charmed for him to look like a book of Celtic myths.

Once they were seated across the desk from Ms Reynold, she shot questions at them.

"Why do you want to adopt? Why Harry, not a younger child? Are you financially capable of supporting him? How will you provide for his education?"

Mandy answered while Harry opened the chemistry book, "I wouldn't normally want to adopt, but Harry's an exception. I was his music teacher this past year, and his safe house when his relatives decided he didn't deserve dinner and a bed. As for money, my parents bought my house out right and gave it to me as a Uni graduation present. I also have a trust fund from a grandparent and my income from Little Whinging Primary. Harry also has a sizable trust set aside by his parents before their deaths to provide for his secondary education and some start-up funds for when he graduates. He starts his secondary education this fall through early admission to a school for the gifted. My aunt actually works there, so he'll have some help adjusting."

Ms Reynold shot a look at Harry, then noticed the book he was reading. She changed her focus to him.

"Mr Potter, how long have you been able to read?"

"I taught myself at three by reading Uncle Vernon's newspapers and Aunt Petunia's gardening magazines."

"How do you feel about this change?"

"It's being kind of forced on me," before Ms Reynold could protest, he continued, "Aunt Petunia, my actual guardian, denied me entrance to her house ever again. Besides, Mandy has been my guardian in all but name and the right to sign things for me for most of the last year already. She's provided shelter, help with homework as needed, and I had dinner or breakfast with her at least 5 times a week."

"Ms Hunibeor, are you willing to help Harry press charges against these relatives?"

"We've discussed it, and consulted a solicitor, and it has been concluded that there is nothing to gain from bringing charges."

"I'll just be glad to not be subject to their whims anymore," Harry added.

The questions continued for a few more minutes, then Harry was sent from the room so Mandy and Ms Reynold could discuss the legal and financial matters further. Harry was directed to a playroom more appropriate for the average 5-year-old. He therefore pulled a chair over to a corner and sat down to read the History book. He had read about 10 pages when the monitor came over and asked him why he wasn't playing.

"Ma'am, I turned 8 a week ago and start secondary in a few weeks, do you think I'll find anything of interest in this room? Unless you have a crossword book you wouldn't mind giving me a few pages of, I'd rather not, thank you."

The monitor's mouth fell open at this child's speech. She'd assumed he was six or so, and just looking at the pictures in that large book. She backed away, going back to mediating a fight between some little boys about a set of building blocks.

Two chapters into his book, Mandy came to get him, a smile on her face. Harry joined her, scampering over.

"You get to keep me?" he asked as they walked out.

"Yep! Let's go get some paint and new sheets for your room, you get to pick colors."

"OK. Oh, and can I have the desk from the parlor? The one that's being used as a credenza?"

"Sure, but that means I need to get a little bookshelf to put all that stuff on. Do you think you'll need more bookshelves? I know you took a trunk full of books from the vault, and bought something like 75 books while you were with Professor Snape."

"I suppose so," Harry answered, a bit embarrassed. "Should I take a galleon to a goldsmiths to sell for the gold by weight? It must be almost half a troy ounce. I don't want to be a burden."

"I'll take care of it. Keep that thought for emergencies."


	5. 1e First Term

It was finally September 1st, so Mandy got them seats on the commuter train into London to catch the Express. She explained how to get through the barrier, and since she had magic in her veins, took him through, carrying his trunk for him.

After installing his trunk with the porter, she hugged him good-bye after a final explanation of how to address his owl-mail.

He found a compartment near the back of the train where a red-head with spectacles sat reading a Charms text. He didn't seem to mind the company, so Harry settled in to read Hogwart's: A History. Shortly, the younger of the two from the bookstore joined them.

"Hi, Percy. This is the little mite I wrote you about. So you **were** telling the truth. How was the rest of your shopping?"

"It was fine. Did the Professor bother you after I left? He would have had to pass you on the way out. He was a bit peeved when he couldn't find me."

When this discussion started, Percy, as the red-head introduced himself, set down his book to listen and participate, volunteering knowledge his two older brothers had told him, and that he had learned in _his_ first year.

During this conversation, the blond boy from the robe shop walked by the compartment looking sad and lost.

"Hey, do you mind if he joins us?" Harry asked the two older boys.

Seeing who it was, Percy replied, "No, bring Ced in, there's plenty of room."

"Cedric? Did you want to sit with us?"

Cedric, looking extremely relieved, sat down next to Harry.

"Hey, Percy. Oh, sorry. Hi, I'm Cedric Diggory. The munchkin, who I've never been formally introduced to, put me in my place at Malkin's."

Oliver started to guffaw. "You got that spiel too? I ran into him in Flourish and Blott's while I was arguing with Terry Higgs about Quidditch. That reminds me, little one, you never actually told us you name."

"I'm Harry. So what exactly is the **correct** way of introducing oneself? It seems quite slapdash to have this conversation 40 minutes into the train ride."

This launched a conversation about Pureblood manners, thus leaving his last name out of the conversation. By the time Harry felt comfortable with the basics of good manners for this world, the announcement to change into robes came on.

Before Wood and Percy left, Percy told Cedric and Harry to head toward the large man bellowing for them, and not to worry.

After the Sorting Hat finished the song, Professor McGonagall started calling 1st years up to try on the Hat. Harry zoned out, watching the clouds on the ceiling glow in the remnants of the sunset. It was only when he heard 'O'Dell, Perry', that he started paying attention again.

"Harry Potter"

A loud buzz started, of people marveling at an 8-year-old entering, never mind that said student was the Boy-Who-Lived.

Before the Hat could crush his curls much, the students heard the Hat yell, "RAVENCLAW!"

After his first Potions class, Harry stayed behind.

"Prof Snape, may I speak with you?"

Nodding, he said, "Come on, I need to drop these in my office, then we can talk."

"Why did you act like that in class? I got the answers correct, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did. Now settle in for a story, I need to explain… When I was younger, before I came to Hogwarts, I lived with my witch mother and muggle father outside of Devon. A few blocks away, in a better part of town, was a beautiful park. Everyday, I'd sit in a bush there and watch a redheaded girl and her older sister play on the swings. One day, she did some accidental magic, and I told her so. We were best friends after that, despite her sister's distain for me and my tatty clothes. When we came to Hogwart's in the same year, despite our difference in ages, we stayed friends until I called her the worst thing one can call a muggleborn at the end of our 5th year. We drifted apart, and she reconciled with my tormentor, who it seemed had matured some."

"You're talking about Mum and Dad, aren't you?"

"Yes, Lily was my best friend until I mucked it up. She eventually forgave me, but we never became really close again. Anyway, to make a long story short, I'm a spy for Dumbledore on the man that killed her. There are those among your classmates that are watching for any evidence I'm nice to you, as many have been told by their parents about my friendship with your mother. If I'm soft, I'll be killed. I therefore cannot be nice in class, but unless you do something stupid, I'll make you serve detention by listening to me natter on about your mother, rather than scrub cauldrons."

Throwing his arms around Prof Snape's waist, he gave him a huge hug.

"Thank you. I just wanted to make sure I hadn't done something wrong, as you were nice to me before."

_**Dear Mandy,**_

_**I've settled in nicely with the Ravenclaws. Aunt Minnie and Prof Snape have been really helpful, or as helpful as they can be while still being professional.**_

_**I met some people on the train that I think I'll get along well with, a 2**__**nd**__** year Gryffindor named Percy Weasley and a first year Hufflepuff named Cedric Diggory. I met Cedric in Diagon Alley when I went with Prof Snape, but I didn't talk to him long because his dad was very rude. He and Percy are neighbors. Percy's friend Oliver may be a good acquaintance, but he's a bit too uncerebral for me.**_

_**I got my dragonpox vaccination after the 1**__**st**__** day of school. I'm not sure why they don't have a clinic in Diagon Alley so one can get the inoculation when they get their supplies. It would greatly reduce the prior exposure issues to get the vaccine within a few hours of first entering the wizarding world, rather than a month later.**_

_**I hope your term is going well also, and I hope to hear from you soon,**_

_**H Potter**_

Harry was quietly working in the library while he waited for Percy and Oliver to show up when he was interrupted.

A Gryffindor he recognized as a fourth-year muggleborn dropped her book-sack on his table, hissing, "Why are you here? Why were _you_ allowed to start early? Was it some sort of celebrity thing?"

"I...there were incidents of accidental magic too strong to allow me to go without training. If you'd excuse me?"

"But why? I was changing colors of things everyday, and I started normally."

"I apparated away from bullies, I healed my own broken arm...I almost hurt someone when I got frustrated," Harry sighed, ashamed.

The girl appeared to be about to say something cutting, but a fifth-year Hufflepuff came around the bookcase, her hair redder than the trim on his assailant's robe.

"Hey, stop being mean to the firstie! Anyway, according to my Mum, Professors Snape and Dumbledore, were accepted early, it happens, get over it."

Once the mean girl had left, his rescuer plopped down across from him, her hair turning a greenish blond, as if a blond had gone swimming in an algae-filled pond.

"Hello, little guy. I'm Tonks."

"Hi. Thank you for the rescue. I don't want to chase you off, but I have a study group coming in a few minutes."

"No prob. I gotta go, anyway, detention with Snape for knocking over my cauldron and dousing four people with incomplete Draught of Peace. Needless to say, Pomfrey isn't happy to have narcoleptics around, especially because two of them are on the Quidditch team. Anyway, have a nice afternoon, twerp!"

__"Mr Potter, please stay after class."

"Yes, Prof McGonagall."

"Harry, come with me. We need to discuss your holiday arrangements."

Once they were in her office, Harry asked, "What's wrong, Aunt Minnie? Is Mandy sick?"

"No, but I will have to Apparate you home that day, as she sent a message that social services wants to come by at three that afternoon."

"Are they suspicious of my schooling, or is this a general check-up?"

"It seems they saw your grades and agreed that a school for the gifted was a wonderful idea, and since there are notations in the muggle will Lily wrote saying there was a trust for your schooling, they see nothing strange. This is just a general check-in. Also, I've been asked to attend the meeting as a family member and an administrator at your school."

"Bye, guys. I'll send your presents in a couple of days," Harry called to Percy and Cedric as they left for the train.

He had already told them about the meeting, so they were not surprised when he dragged his trunk over to where McGonagall stood at the gate.

"Alright, Harry, keep a sharp hold on your trunk and grab my elbow."

Later that day, as the three sat down to afternoon tea, the doorbell rang. After the social worker had settled in for her own cup of tea, she started the inquisition.

"Ms McGonagall, how would you describe Harry's adjustment to his school?"

"He is doing very well; his end-of-term exams were exceptional. Though he is actually a bit younger than our usual attendees, he is adjusting well, making friends among his year mates and those a year above. He has had no disciplinary troubles that merited beyond a scolding and a small demerit on his record."

"And what do you teach again?"

"Physics. I also taught James Potter, Harry's late father. Harry has inherited his facility with its applications."

"And Ms Hunibeor, he communicates with you regularly?"

"Yes, I received a letter approximately every other Friday. There were times he went a bit longer, but those were at times, he informed me later, when he had multiple tests or projects in a week."

"Excuse me, I _am_ here, Madame. Would you prefer I leave, or would you like to question me?" Harry asked as nicely as possible.

"I have a few more questions for these ladies, then I would like to ask you some questions. If you'd like to go play for a while, come back in 20 minutes. Then we'll have a private talk."

Pointing out the stupidity of telling him to go _play_, he said, "OK, I guess I'll do the reading for Prof Binns' History essay. He wanted 8 pages for the Tuesday after we return, so I'd best get cracking."

Needless to say, Minnie and Mandy had a difficult time not laughing.

When Harry came back down 25 minutes later, Aunt Minnie had just left to visit her other nieces and nephews, and Mandy was in the kitchen banging pots and pans together in preparation for supper.

"Ah, good timing, young man. Now for some more questions."

"OK, go ahead."

Picking up her notepad, she asked, "Does Miss Hunibeor feed you enough? Do you have a nice room? Is she kind to you?"

"As you can tell, she's a great cook, she made all the tea treats, and she took me in when my aunt and uncle decided I was disobedient, which you've seen is not true. She was my music teacher before she was my guardian, and whenever Aunt Petunia decided I merited a night sleeping outside for not finishing my numerous chores to her satisfaction, I had a key to come over here. But you knew that, it should be in the statement you received on why I was placed here. As for my room here, I haven't really had a chance to use it, I lived here for 3 weeks at the end of the summer, only one of which officially, and I just got back from school earlier today. I got to pick out the colors and some of the furniture before I left, if that's what you mean."

Nodding as she finished her notes, she added, "And do you like your school, or would you prefer to be somewhere away from you adoptive family?"

"I like it. Besides, Aunt Minnie and Prof Snape knew my parents well, and they tell me stories about them. They each gave me a picture, Aunt Minnie of Dad, and Prof Snape one of Mum. In terms of academics, I can't complain, few schools would take someone of my age, they either want you from the start, or at the end of primary. It should be on my primary record that Mr Browning, the school psychologist, recommended a month into my first year that I transfer to Wyatt Institute. Aunt Petunia refused, despite an offer of boarding and a scholarship, because they refused the same to Dudley, so here I am."

Satisfied, Ms Ryan left them to their supper to write up her positive report.


	6. End of Y1

Cedric and Harry had just finished asking Percy a question for 1st year exams when Cedric asked, "Percy, aren't the twins starting next year?"

"Yes, they are. Harry, would you like to come over at some point this summer and get inoculated with their presence before term starts? That way they won't spend the first week pranking you where everyone can see you."

"Sure, but I'm doing summer session stuff for Muggle School, I'll have to ask Mandy when it starts and finishes so I can spend longer than just a Saturday afternoon."

It turned out that the session didn't start until after July 1st, so anytime the first week of vacation would be free. He therefore arranged to Floo over on the Monday morning after he returned home and spend until Thursday at suppertime.

When he arrived, no one seemed to be around.

"Hello? Percy? Mrs Weasley? Someone?"

"Oy, Gred, look at the munchkin! I think he got out at the wrong grate."

"How could I have gotten out at the wrong grate if I'm calling for people who live here, as you are obviously Fred and George Weasley?" he asked, nodding at the correct one with their names.

"Oh, he got us!" George gasped, faux-clutching his chest.

"Now are you the only ones home, or do I need to go find your brother?"

"Percy's here. Its surprising he's not down here by now."

"Well, Bill's home, so maybe he's talking to him."

"True enough. Nothing to be done then…" the two scooped Harry up and dragged him up the stairs, causing him to kick at the door labeled 'Bill and Charlie'

"Oy, Bill. Have you seen Percy? We have a special delivery for him," they called through the door.

Charlie opened the door, and seeing their burden, shouted, "Put him down right now, before you drop him!"

Bill, at the commotion, came over to the door, saying, "Oh, sorry, I had a quiet bubble around us while Percy and I were talking. Come on in."

Harry didn't even see Bill until the twins dropped him on Bill's bed, almost into Percy's lap.

Gasping a bit from the jouncing, Harry said, "Hey, Percy. I can see why you thought I needed to be inoculated."

During this whole scene, Bill was getting more and more confused.

"Introductions, please? Someone?"

Percy turned to Bill and replied, "Bill, meet Harry. He beat your record for early admission. Harry, this is my oldest brother, Bill."

"Pleased to meet you, Bill. So how old were you at admission?"

"Definitely older than you. I entered the September before I turned 11 in December. And Prof Snape did before an October birthday. Ced's is the first week of September, isn't it?"

"Then I doubt my record will be broken for a while. I'm turning nine in a month."

The twins fainted, realizing through quick mental math who the person they had just hauled upstairs must be.

Bill looked at the twins, still confused, so Charlie, realizing no one had fully introduced Harry told Bill, "Think for a second, who turns nine at the end of July whose name is Harry?"

"Wow, I'm slow, for all my achievements! Welcome to the family, Mr. Potter," Bill joked.

The rest of Harry's visit went very smoothly. Percy hadn't taken into account the effect Harry's notoriety would have on the twins. They thought it was a great joke to confuse Bill so much, so they brought him in on all their schemes. One of which left Cedric somehow completely covered in pond scum.

The only downside was Ronald's reaction to having Harry in the house. He thought since Harry was younger than he, he should listen to Ron's instructions, or at least pay attention to him.

After a long day of trying to discuss Egyptian spells with Bill, and Ron's constant interruptions, Harry flopped onto the cot in Percy's room.

"Ronald is _such_ a child! I don't think I was ever that annoying."

Percy just laughed, "Harry, he's over 4 months _older_ than you. I know he's immature, but a child?"

"Yes, I was asking Bill a question and Ron interrupted 4 times to get me to look at his Frog Card collection. Please tell me he was just trying to be friendly and overdoing it."

"Nope, and be glad Ginny's over at Luna's for the week. She's been raised on tales about you. Now _that_ would be uncomfortable."

"So, Mr. Potter, why exactly do you want to do a summer session here at Wyatt? Is your current school not rigorous enough?"

"It's not that. I just have been focusing primarily on physics and chemistry, and would like to take some biology, humanities, and languages when my lab load isn't so high. And this would not be a one-time deal. I was hoping to take classes here every summer."

"Your name has been on our qualification list for some time now, why did you choose this summer to accept?"

"Until the middle of last summer, I lived with my Philistine relatives, who would rather stuff their faces and watch telly than read or exercise. By then I had already been accepted early to my parents' alma mater, with which my adoptive family is affiliated. It wasn't until I saw how skewed the program was that I realized summer classes would be necessary for successful medical studies if I wanted to start in a timely fashion without extensive self-study."

Harry signed up for biology, French, and English Lit. This was an ambitious plan, as they would cram 4 terms of a course into an 8 week summer session. It was particularly interesting the first few weeks, completing 2 full schedules of homework, getting the Hogwart's work out of the way. He finished with As on his end of session tests. The French teacher actually made a notation that should he continue with French, he should take Lit, and not bother with the intervening portion.

I'm aware that the 'year' rushed by, but to a certain extent, YS:Y1-6 are a really long prolouge to Y7+, as they are the story I originally set out to write.


	7. 2a Moony and Wormtail

It was Harry's first DADA class of his second year, and he was still really tired, as he'd somehow gotten roped into one of the Twins' schemes involving Filch. He had gotten a piece of old parchment out of Filch's file cabinet, though when he said his name, it started writing to him. This freaked him out enough that he hadn't slept, even after locking it in his trunk.

He attributed his responses to his mental state when Prof Lupin asked him if he was boring him about 5 minutes before the end of class.

"No, uncle Moony…" he muttered. After he realized what he'd said, he scrambled to apologize. "I'm so sorry, Professor."

"Stay after class for a few minutes, Mr. Potter."

Harry, thinking he was in trouble, mentally moaned, but answered calmly, "Yes, sir."

When class was over, Remus led him to his office.

"You remember me? I haven't seen you in 8 years."

"What are you talking about? Is this about what I called you? I don't know where it came from…"

"Given how close you seem to be to Minnie and Snape, I'm surprised you never heard of the Marauders…"

That night at dinner, Harry went over to the Gryffindor table.

"Fred, you remember that piece of old parchment we found in Filch's cabinet? Well, I know what it is now. It's a map of the school made by my dad and his friends, including…Professor Lupin. It's called the Marauder's Map."

"No. Way. Our cousin Ralphie told us about them! They created mayhem wherever they went; they're our idols."

The next week was Quidditch tryouts for all houses. Ced was going for Seeker, and despite Harry's distaste for the game, he loved to fly, or watch others fly, so he sat in the stands to watch.

When the results were posted, that Cedric was the starting Seeker, beating out the starter from last year, Harry and Percy both congratulated him.

"Are you still going to have time to finish the reading for the muggle courses, with the new time constraint?"

"I don't see why not, we spend time getting ahead in our magical studies, I'll just devote some of the extra Transfiguration practice time to finishing those novels. Percy, how's the comparative politics thing going? I'm thinking about starting that one once I finish more of the Literature readings."

As the others discussed the politics course Percy had started at the beginning of term, Harry thought about what had started the whole thing.

_**Harry had gotten a month ahead on his essays, and it was only two weeks into the spring term. He therefore decided to spend some time reading up on Biology, as he planned to take the term test over at Wyatt, if he was accepted for the summer.**_

_**He'd just pulled out the book when Percy asked, "You've had a book like that in your book-sack every time I see you. What's it for?"**_

"_**Remember how I said I was doing my Muggle accreditation in parallel with the Magical? This is one of the texts for the test I'm taking in a couple of months."**_

_**Cedric looked pensive, and Percy asked, "Do you think having Muggle preparation in politics or how to manipulate perceptions without magic would help me get a job at the Ministry when we're done?"**_

"_**I don't see why not. Even if it didn't put you at the top of the stack initially, in actually getting the job, you'd have better preparation to impress your boss, and therefore allow you to rise faster. Do you want me to look into self-study programs for you?"**_

_**Both nodded, promising to give him lists of what sorts of things they wanted to do, for Harry to base his choice of three or four topics to study.**_

_**Harry decided to arrange for Cedric to study Literature, Geography, World History, and Politics to O levels. Percy was going to take Politics, Sociology, and Maths. After that, it was up to them.**_

Harry couldn't sleep, and he'd finished all his homework for the next two weeks, so he dug out the Map. He looked around at his friends, finding Cedric and Percy, and checking on Aunt Minnie and Sev. He was immensely confused by the appearance of another name right next to Percy's. It shouldn't be there, as according to Moony and the old Daily Prophets, the man had been mash for almost 8 years. He'd ask Moony, as he had Defense first.

"Moony, is it possible for the Map to have glitches, because I saw Peter on the Map up in Gryffindor Tower last night."

Eyes wide, Remus took the Map to inspect the spell work, in case it had degraded, or James had added some kind of trip charm to show up if a blood relative used the Map.

Nothing was wrong, so he asked, almost afraid to hope, "Does someone in Gryffindor have a pet rat, or have they reported rodent damage there?"

"Percy has Scabbers, he said he'd had him for years, since Ginny was a newborn, so late 1981...You don't think…Were Dad and the others Animagi? Was that their gift for you?"

Silence reigned for a few minutes, until Remus asked in a rush, "Do you know what Percy has first? Does he carry the rat everywhere, or does he leave him in the dorm during classes?"

"He has Charms first, I think. And he carries Scabbers around on days he doesn't have Potions. So today he should be in Percy's pocket. Do you want to wait until his Defense class after lunch, or go talk to Aunt Minnie?"

"Run get Minnie. She's better at the revealing charm. Besides, we need a witness. And if Snape's still in the Great Hall, maybe you should get him too."

Returning with Percy and Minnie a few minutes later, Harry took Percy over to one corner while Remus and Minnie conferred. A few minutes later, she turned to Percy.

"Mr. Weasley, may I see that rat? There is some question about its identity."

Immediately, Scabbers started to squirm, so Harry cast Petrificus Totalus, nodding to Percy to hand over the rat.

Minerva put a barrier charm around the top of the teaching desk and cast the revealing charm. The rat grew larger and larger, gradually losing its tail and hair, revealing it to be a pudgy, balding man in grayish-brown robes.

"Hello, Wormtail, you little rat," Remus sneered.

"Remus! Its good to see you."

"Don't greet me so familiarly…Minerva, get Snape and Kingsley, we need Veritaserum."


	8. 2b Padfoot

A week into Christmas Break, Sirius Black was released from Azkaban to the Creature-Induced Maladies ward of Saint Mungo's, where he'd likely spend a month or two, between the malnutrition and mental issues. It had taken over two months because Cornelius Fudge, the assistant to the Minister in charge of setting the Wizagamot docket, had hidden Auror Shacklebolt's reports at the bottom of the stack because Lucius Malfoy had promised him a percentage of the Black coffers if he'd help secure the money for Draco. It was only when Kingsley had brought the lack of a witness summons to the attention of his boss, Amelia Bones, that anything happened. She'd spoken with Minister Bagnold and gotten things back on track.

The same day that Harry had planned to go pick up Sev's birthday present, he proposed a short detour to Saint Mungo's to check in on Sirius' progress. Aunt Minnie agreed, as she was his chaperone for the day; Mandy had a meeting with the other teachers in preparation for the start of the new term.

When they arrived, Sirius was just getting back from the Mind Healer's, where he was having a session every day to deal with the combat fatigue aggravated by the presence of the Dementors.

"Harry! Remus showed me pictures of you with some of the Weasleys. Do you live with them?"

"No. I live with my primary school music teacher, one of Aunt Minnie's cousins. She was on the Hogwart's books until she got Dragonpox. Percy is one of my best friends, and I know Bill well."

They continued talking about mundane things for a while longer, until the nurse came in to tell them the Healer was doing rounds in a few minutes, so visitors had to leave for a while.

As Harry was gathering his cloak and parcel, Sirius asked, "I'm your godfather, James and Lily's first choice for a guardian. Would you want to live with me, once I'm sprung of this place?"

"Let me think about it. I'll visit again before I leave for the new term, and write to you?"

_Dear Mr. Padfoot,_

_Master Prongslet AKA Bambi wishes to inform you that, despite your generous offer, he feels that he cannot accept at this time. Mr. Padfoot should feel free to visit, or suggest outings, but Bambi has obligations in the Muggle world over the summer for the foreseeable future. There is also the matter of Bambi's interactions with Dark Knight and Mistress Tabby to further his studies._

_Mischief Managed._

_Bambi_


	9. 3a Girls and Heirship

It was time for Harry's week in Ottery St. Catchpole, and this time, to the Twins' and Percy's chagrin, Ginny was going to be home. Harry had barely put his trunk in Percy's room for safe-keeping when Ginny approached the bathroom, which happened to be across the hall. She gave a loud squeak before ducking into the bathroom. He could hear her mumbling to herself in disbelief that Fred hadn't lied to her.

Breakfast was equally awkward, mostly because both Ron and Ginny wanted to sit next to him, yet Harry wanted a chance to talk to Charlie and Percy about his course choices for 3rd year electives. Finally, Molly took pity on Harry and allowed Percy and Harry to head over to visit Cedric for the day.

As they were walking over to the Diggorys', Harry saw Siri's owl coming toward them. Snatching the letter as Orpheus dropped it to him, he opened it.

_Dear Bambi,_

_As your godfather, and therefore meant to try to corrupt you as much as possible, I wanted to invite you to come with me to Diagon Alley on your birthday. I need to spoil you, and I want you to meet the fun relatives. You may know one of them, my cousin's daughter, Nymphie, is a 6__th__ year Puff._

_Padfoot_

_P.S. We need to start you on the prep for Animagus training. You need your own nickname._

The shopping trip was a welcome study break, as the exams for summer session started the 13th. He knew Nymphie on sight, as once he met her, he realized she was one of Charlie's friends, and the shapeshifter who'd saved him back in first year. She was entering her 7th year, taking 6 NEWT classes. She and Aunt Dro both corroborated Aunt Minnie's, Sev's, Charlie's, and Percy's opinions on the best electives. The next day, he sent off the letter to Aunt Minnie to register him for Runes, Care of Magical Creatures, and Arithmancy.

When school started again, he was dismayed by the seeming-insanity that was infesting his female cohorts. The girls who had debated with him about the truth in history books were now segregated into chattering groups, seemingly discussing the relative hotness of Zach Higgs and Charlie Weasley, and how envious they were of Nymphie for being able to shift away any blemishes. It wasn't until he realized that all the girls in his year were 13 years old, and therefore beginning that dreaded time known as puberty, that he was reassured as to their relative sanity.

Once the feast was over, but they had yet to be dismissed, he was subjected to the girls fawning over him, and squealing over his 'cuteness'. Some of the same girls had been unkind the previous spring when they found him less than helpful in tutoring them, or so they opined.

The first week of classes went well, and he found Runes fascinating, especially their use as wards when traditional methods could worsen conditions, such as in cases of certain comatose states where charm wards would siphon, irrevocably, the cloud of magic created when normal control of one's aura faltered, a bad concussion could leave someone a Squib. Also, since the runes could be laid by putting something as innocuous as a few stuffed animals on a child's bed, or drawing a few doodles on someone's chart, and putting what looked like a Scrabble tile under the pillow, it would be more appropriate for a mixed environment, or to stabilize someone taken to a Muggle hospital while arranging a transfer to St. Mungo's.

Two weeks before the winter break, Harry visited Professor McGonnagal in her office, clutching a large book on Heirship.

"Aunt Minnie. I noticed something I'm a bit confused about. I'd ask a Wizard Customs teacher, but we don't have one. All the laws about titles don't name an age for ascension if the previous Lord died when the Heir was really young, just a milestone. And they don't even say what it is in the public books."

"You could have asked Prof Binns, but I doubt you'd get a succinct answer. Usually, if the Lord of a family dies when the Heir is young, like James did, then upon completion of the 3rd year of magical schooling, the Heir is given the title with some oversight by a qualified guardian. For you, it would mean that you'd still live with Mandy, but a witch or wizard would have to spend a few weeks over the summer staying over, or spending a week or two with Sirius. You would be able to attend Wizagamot meetings and join in the debates, but not vote."

"Oh, so I qualify at the end of this year, despite the fact I'm not even going to be eleven yet?"

"Yes, and you'll be considered an adult after finishing 6th year. It's so rare that anyone is accepted early, so all the laws make education milestones the benchmarks, rather than years of age. This was especially an issue during the earlier years of the school, when most of these revisions occurred, as a level of training is necessary to function in society. If someone started a year late or missed a term due to illness, they'd need the knowledge first, before they could take their place in society. So, technically, you could go live alone before your 14th birthday, though the Muggles would have some questions."


	10. 3b Awkward

It was the first week back after the holiday, and Harry was avoiding the Commons like his House had the plague. He finally found Cedric in the library, and decided he'd stay with him until the library closed, when it might be safe to return for bed.

"Not that I mind you studying with me, Harry, but why aren't you in your Commons?"

"There's this first year, Cho. She almost beats out Ginny for creepy stalker-girl. She staked out the Commons to corner me. I thought Penny and Yvonne were bad, cooing over me, but this girl…she has this glint in her eye, demented, I tell you. Oh, that for some reason reminded me that instead of the theory lessons for Astronomy for the next 6 weeks, supposedly we have a sexual-education class. Do you think I'll be able to beg off? I mean, I'm 10 years old, even if there's some arranged marriage recorded for me, I couldn't carry it out for at least 4 years…"

"That was kind of a random subject change. As for the class, try talking to Flitwick? I'm not sure how much he can do, but it can't hurt to try."

Harry found out that he couldn't be excused, but the class wasn't actually that graphic. The boys' class focused more on providing resources on the preventative measures, the laws governing their use, and responsibilities of fathers. To a certain extent, it was more a class on Wizard Customs of Marriage and Morals than a real sexual education class as the Muggle-raised understood it. He asked Penny, his Transfiguration mentor, who was in Percy's year, whether the girls' section was more what he was expecting a sex-ed class to be. She was a half-blood, so she understood what he meant. Again, the girls learned more about the cycle-regulation potions and the magical version of Pamprin, though they did learn about the dangers of pregnancy before one's magical majority, and the extreme taboo of unwed sexual intercourse. When Charlie heard what Harry had been blushing about, he explained that the mechanics of intercourse were part of a week-long series of lectures before Winter Holiday in one's 7th year, or so he heard from Bill.


	11. 3c Wizagamot

It was finally the end of the spring term, with Harry and Cedric placing 1st and 2nd in the year. With his grades being posted, Harry came into his first stage of emancipation. Therefore, the afternoon before they left for London, he received a summons to the Wizagamot. Thankfully, the only change that needed to be made was that he could only visit Percy and Cedric for a long overnight before the summer term started.

A few days before the meeting, and the day before he went to Percy's for Charlie's graduation party, he went to Gringott's to ask them for insights into how the Wizagamot worked, and any traditions he needed to adhere to. He'd gotten most of the rules and traditions from Siri, but his godfather wasn't exactly known for following all the rules. Thankfully, it seemed all he had to do, given his inability to vote yet, was wear the Family Robes and listen carefully to the debates, speaking only when he had something to contribute. His introduction to the assembly would be taken care of by seated Lords.

Upon entering the assembly hall in the immensely heavy robes, which thankfully had sizing charms, he saw Siri over in one corner. He knew that Siri had only been able to occupy his seat a few months ago, as somehow, the news he was exonerated didn't make it to the roll-call man until February. Catching a wink from Siri, he went looking for the Potter seal, to find his seat. He ended up between Lady Longbottom and Madame Bones. When everyone sat down a few minutes later, there was a general outcry when some of the Lords realized that there was one less empty chair. Lord Newman loudly questioned Harry's presence, but Lord Greengrass stood, tapping his knuckles on the table. He was a lecturer at Morgana College at Oxford on history, so when he got into lecture posture, everyone shut up.

"In days of old, when the laws governing succession of magical lordships were being formulated, the forebears of this body decided that a certain amount of control of one's powers was necessary to be an effective Lord. Therefore, rather than an age of ascension, they decided on an educational level necessary to complete before the Heir could be eligible to be the Lord. This would set a basic age, and assure that the Lord was not a weak wizard. It was decided that the educational benchmark was more accurate, especially in times when disease or other unpredictable phenomena were more likely to cause delays in schooling.

According to revisions set down in 1018, in cases where the Lord died while the Heir was less than 3 years of age, a minimum proficiency was set at completing 3rd year to receive the right to sit in on these meetings. Full lordship under those circumstances comes upon completion of the 6th year at Hogwart's or a comparable institution, or completion of the first stage of apprenticeship must be proven. In most cases, this means 13 or 14, and the summer most students would be, or reach, 17 years of age. In the rare case of an early acceptance, or quick progression through apprenticeship, we have younger attendees. We have an extreme case here, Lord Potter, Heir Black, entered Hogwarts just after his 8th birthday, so we now have a partially-ascended Lord of an age with entering students, as I believe he reaches his 11th birthday in approximately a month?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you for explaining the situation to our brethren who may not be conversant with the older laws, as most of the books are unclear in explanation."

With that out of the way, the rest of the meeting was boring, as the laws they had to inspect were mundane, and there were no major trials scheduled. Adjournment was around supper-time.


	12. 4a Diagon

July 31, 1991-Diagon Alley  
>Mandy had gone to the 'Magical Music' store to speak with the proprietor about a violin she'd encountered that seemed to have permanent itching powder on it. She wanted to make sure it was charmed with something reversible, rather than enchanted or possessed. She therefore told Harry to go get his robes and she would meet him there. He had just started his fitting when a pointy platinum blond came in, taking the stool next to his.<p>

"Hello, I'm Draco. Are you starting Hogwart's too?"

Harry, now that he could see the kid, realized who this was, as he'd met his father a few weeks ago, in passing.

"No, Master Malfoy, I'm returning."

"But…how old are you?" he asked suspiciously.

"I just turned eleven."

Draco immediately put the pieces together.

"Potter?"

"Got it in one. Madame, if you'd be so kind as to add the Raven insignia, I need to get going. Owl it to the normal place. Good day, Master Malfoy."

Harry glided out the door while Draco was still gaping.

When they got back from the Alley, the mail had come, and Harry's O levels results had come.

"Ooooh, open it! Come on!"

"Mandy, calm down. There's only so fast I can rip it open."

_O Levels Results  
><em>_Harold James Potter  
><em>_Wyatt Institute  
><em>_5 July 1991_

_Maths A  
><em>_Chemistry A  
><em>_Biology A  
><em>_French B  
><em>_History A  
><em>_Latin A  
><em>_Comp Sci B_

_Congratulations, Mr. Potter. You have earned the privilege to continue in your courses. Inform your school ASAP regarding your course selections for A Levels._

"So, what are you going to continue in?"

"Chemistry, Biology, Latin, and Maths"

"Right, go ahead and call Dr. Greene about your classes. I'll start dinner."


	13. 4b Firsties

1 Sept 1991-Platform 9 3/4  
>As soon as Harry had crossed the barrier, before he even had a chance to look around for Percy and Cedric, Ronald ran over to him.<p>

"Harry, Harry! I'm coming to Hogwart's this year!"

"That's nice Ronald. Where's Percy?" Harry asked, standing on tiptoes to look around.

"He's getting his robes on, he's a prefect, you know."

"Yes. He wrote me when he got the letter. Are Fred and George on the train yet?"

"Nah, they're being nice for once and helping people with their trunks. I think they're up to something."

"When are they not? Thanks, Ronald. Bye," He muttered as he strode off toward the baggage car.

"Bye!" Ron yelled after him.

Harry was happily sitting with Cedric, as Percy was at his Prefect meeting, reading a book on Egyptian hieroglyph spells Bill had recommended, when a bushy-haired girl with no house affiliation came in, then started gawking.

"Hi, welcome to the Hogwart's Express. Are you a first year?"

"Oh," she snapped out of her state, "Yes, I'm Hermione Granger, and you're Harry Potter. You're in lots of books."

"I'm glad you know who I am, because sometimes I don't know," he snarked, a bit tired of this spiel. "And I know I'm in a lot of books, but only one for my academics. What a shame no one seems to remember the brilliant people that died that night to save me, rather than the baby who survived."

Cedric chipped in before Harry could go off on a rant, "If you can't tell, it's a bit of a sensitive subject. Hi, I'm Cedric Diggory."

Hermione stayed long enough to apologize, then sped off to sit elsewhere.

Soon afterward, Draco came in.

"Master Malfoy, we meet again. Cedric Diggory, may I introduce you to Draco Malfoy?"

"Lord Potter, may I apologize for my conduct when we first met? I was only shocked."

"Apology accepted, but is this by your own action, or at Lord Malfoy's orders?"

"He recommended it, but I decided the mode."

"Very well. Care to sit down?"

"Thank you, but no. I have a seat already with some of my yearmates."

After Draco left, both boys collapsed into laughter.

"You sounded such a prig!" Cedric giggled (though he'd deny it to his last breath).

Right after the Welcoming Feat, where Prof Quirrel was reintroduced after his sabbatical, Harry went to see Prof Snape, as signaled.

"Are you alright, Harry?"

"When I looked at you, I flinched, I'm sorry. Something about the back of Quirrel's head made my scar hurt. Curse scars shouldn't hurt except in the presence of their caster, right?"

"That's correct, though your curse scar is unique. I'll look into it."

"Thank you."

After Harry's first Potions class, Sev told him to stay behind. Once everyone else had left, and the door was closed, Sev sat on his own desk, facing Harry, who was still standing near his brewing station.

"Curse scars shouldn't hurt unless in close proximity to the caster while he is experiencing similar emotions to those that inflicted the scar."

"So Quirrel has Voldie on his head, who is feeling especially hateful? I wondered about the turban…"

"It seems so."

"And he's after the Stone, isn't he?"

"How'd you…never mind. Now, shoo!"

It was after classes on Halloween, and Harry had sealed his bed curtains against anyone but Aunt Minnie or Sev. Finally, after all of his roommates and the prefect tried to open the curtains to try to get him to go to the feast, Flitwick and Aunt Minnie came to talk to him. After Flitwick had assured himself Harry was fine, he went back downstairs. Aunt Minnie sat down on the edge of his bed, the privacy charms still in place.

"You worried most of us, no one was sure where you were, and somehow a troll was let into the dungeons tonight."

"I…It's been 10 years, I can barely remember them, but…I just didn't feel like celebrating."

"Come with me, sweetie. Sev's going to join me in my quarters for a cuppa, we can look through the old photos, and Sev said something about bringing his Pensieve."

"May I Floo-call Siri and Remus, just to check in?"

"I don't see why not. Now scoot and wash up."

By the time winter holidays came around, Percy had used his authority as a Prefect to basically ground Ron, restricting him to the Tower except for school-related activities, due to the frequency with which he was late for curfew, mostly because he kept attempting to corner Harry. When Minnie heard about the problem, she agreed it was a reasonable restriction, and would decrease the number of points deducted and detentions assigned.

This didn't completely stop Ron interrupting Harry's time in the library, or time spent with Percy, Cedric, and the twins, but at least he didn't need to risk carrying the Marauder's Map to be able to avoid the obsessive boy.

When Harry returned to Surrey, he was surprised to find an owl was just leaving.

"That's a school owl; why was it here?"

"I think one of your school friends forgot to give you your present before you left. Its unsigned though, which is odd, but the wards wouldn't let it through if it were cursed or something."

He found out two days later that the package was actually from Dumbledore (he recognized the handwriting on the enclosed note), and it was his father's Invisibility Cloak.


	14. 4c Into Battle

24 May 1992

When it seemed that Dumbledore had been lured to London, and Minnie and Sev were dealing with a brawl between groups of their 6th years, Harry made it his duty to watch the Marauder's Map for Quirrel. There was a weird cloud behind Quirrel's dot, like a smudged name, likely since Voldemort was a fake name, but his official one was problematic enough to need enchanting so contracts didn't self-sign with that name. When Harry saw Quirrel pacing his office, heading toward the door every few trips, he sent a paper bird to Sev, then left under the cloak, for the restricted corridor.

Harry sang a sleeping spell to get by Fluffy, used a vampire-vanquishing spell on the Devil's Snare, immobilized the chess set, blasting a pawn he'd missed, accio-ed the key, held his nose past the troll, and then solved the logic puzzle in under three minutes. He had his wand drawn when he entered the room, expecting to see Quirrel, but not the Mirror of Erised. Groaning in his mind, he crept around the top tier until he could see himself in the mirror, a bit surprised when he felt the weight of a small jewel settle in his pocket.

::Dumbles, you may be batty, but one can't deny you're a genius.::

He'd almost made it back through the fire when he felt a rope encircle his ankle, a leash to Quirrel. Turning, Harry asked, "Did you want something, Prof Quirrel? Or should I refer to you as Quirius Voldemort?"

"Give me the stone, boy!"

"Why, Finders Keepers, I'd say. _Anima Obliducto_. Good day," he said, casting _reducto_ on the rope a foot or so from his ankle, then stepping through the fire, ignoring the mist coming from the dissolving Prof Quirrel.

When he'd made it back to the key room, Professors Snape, McGonagall, and Dumbledore were waiting for him.

"Hello, Prof D. You might want to write Mr. Flamel that the Stone is safe, and return it to him. Here it is…Aunt Minnie, don't hover, I'm fine. Oh, and Prof Snape, I believe I have some good news. _He_ is gone, at least for now. Thank you for the spell, kinda messy, as I think he's a pool of red gunge, but it worked."

Grabbing one of the brooms, he flew through the rooms and up the shaft, alighting on the stairs outside Fluffy's room.

There were still 3 weeks until exams, but the only people who had actual DADA classes were the 5th and 7th years, to make sure they were prepared for their OWLs and NEWTs. Prof Dumbledore taught those classes. The other years were given study halls, but expected to know the material for their finals. Prof Dumbledore said it was because the search for a new Professor would take longer than the rest of term.

Harry used the time to look up ways Voldie may have preserved his consciousness, He came up with various types of possession, and Horocrux production, which technically was possession of an inanimate object, though that inanimate object could be embedded in a living being. Technically his scar could be a horocrux, which scared Harry immensely, but he put that aside, thinking about how to broach the subject to Professors Snape and Dumbledore. He finally decided to ask Prof Snape first, then ask him to arrange a meeting with Prof Dumbledore once he'd checked he wasn't worried for little reason.

A week later, he waited after Potions class to talk to Severus.

"Sev, I…I'm worried about something. Take a look," He mumbled, handing over his notes.

Severus looked through the parchments, his face getting grimmer and grimmer.

"Your suspicions seem to be in order. Come, it's almost supper time, let's go see the Headmaster."

Albus was just as worried about the implications, as he'd had the same suspicions about Tom's actions.

"I'm sorry to say, my boys, that young Harry's suspicions are likely correct, and 15 points to Ravenclaw for excellent research. Harry, for now, leave the destruction of the horocruxes up to me, we'll leave yours for last, if possible, as you'd have to be clinically dead for the piece to detach."

"Would stopping my heart, then restarting it after a few minutes be enough to loosen it? I saw something about a way to transfer the shard to something else…"

"Don't worry about that now, Harry, now off with you. Severus, if you'd stay behind a moment?"

On the train, Harry dragged Penny to sit with him in the customary spot. She'd asked if Percy talked about her, and Percy asked if Penny had shown any interest in him. He figured he'd manufacture a way for them to spend time together, getting her to sit with them, then he and Cedric would visit the twins for an hour or so, then check in. Besides, Cedric wanted to go over some last minute concerns about the O Levels. His father still didn't realize he was taking the tests, his mother had signed everything. She had taken some Muggle summer courses when she was young also, though she didn't take the exams, so when Cedric explained his reasoning, she accepted it well.


	15. 5a Course Problems

20 Aug 1992-Hunibeor Residence

"Mr. Potter, there are some problems with your prospective schedule. There are very few subjects where age is truly an issue, where even accelerated learning does not qualify one to take the subject. Law as a class is dictated by the governors to be only offered once the student is 14, which would be inclusive of all 5th years, previously. There is some flexibility for parents teaching their children, but the school is not permitted. I or Professor McGonnagal can give you a list of books and be available to answer any questions, but unfortunately, you cannot take the class before you need the subject. Foolish, and one would think you could petition for inclusion, but I have been told you may not. As for Healing, that is a class typically offered after OWLs, as there is a certain level of knowledge necessary. Perhaps the Quidditch medic course? It is much like muggle EMT training, and most of the material is charms, rather than potions. It is 12 weeks of Thursday evenings, and starts the first class day of October or February."

"Thank you, Prof Flitwick, for the explanation. I'll read up on the subjects, and perhaps start the medic training in October. My schedule still looks too empty, though. Any suggestions?"

"Many aristocrats play an instrument, perhaps you could use the time for muscial studies?"

Harry felt really stupid for a moment. He had the perfect idea. He'd looked through the book on bardic magic when he first got the harp and book, he should work through the exercises, now that he was used to fine control of his powers, but hadn't cemented his magical flow patterns into wand-restricted usage yet.

"That's a good idea, Professor. Are there any practice rooms or empty classrooms?"

When returning from the Halloween feast a bit early, due to feeling a bit ill, Harry heard a voice in the wall. It sounded like a man in a too-long cloak making death-threats. Following the sounds, he found Mrs. Norris hanging by her tail on a sconce. Luckily, he sent a paper bird to Flitwick before anyone happened upon him at the scene of a crime.

After a very uncomfortable discussion with the Headmaster assuring Filch that Harry hadn't killed his cat, Harry drew Severus aside.

"Uncle Sev, you know I can talk to Silva...well, I heard what sounded like a much deeper version of her voice in the walls, but...who?"

"I do not know, but I will keep an eye out."

AN: Added dates when did a time-skip that isn't explicitly mentioned, chapter names have year. Sorry the parts are so short, these years are mostly build-up for 7th year (GoF), the story I initially set out to write.


	16. 5b Ginny and TMR

31 Oct 1992

When returning from the Halloween feast a bit early, due to feeling a bit ill, Harry heard a voice in the wall. It sounded like a man in a too-long cloak making death-threats. Following the sounds, he found Mrs. Norris hanging by her tail on a sconce. Luckily, he sent a paper bird to Flitwick before anyone happened upon him at the scene of a crime.

After a very uncomfortable discussion with the Headmaster assuring Filch that Harry hadn't killed his cat, Harry drew Severus aside.

"Uncle Sev, you know I can talk to Silva...well, I heard what sounded like a much deeper version of her voice in the walls, but...who?"

"I do not know, but I will keep an eye out."

"Ginny has this diary she's a bit obsessed with, and we have no idea when she got it. It looks old," George mentioned during a History tutoring session.

"I think...its almost like she shoplifted at the used book store, as she had it in her cauldron when we came back from Diagon Alley, but Mum didn't buy it, it was never on the counter. And she keeps disappearing."

"Uncle Sev, could an old diary possess someone?"

"Why do you ask?"

"The twins say Ginny somehow acquired an old diary that she's a bit obsessed with, and she keeps disappearing."

"If she is that enamored of the volume, she will carry it with her everywhere. I will confiscate it in her class tomorrow. It's the best avenue we have."

"Harry, you were correct. My mark interacted with it, and the name...TM Riddle...It contained a piece of Him like your scar. I _**accidentally**_ dropped it in a cauldron of fuming sulphuric acid. I will have Minnie explain its demise to her."

"That's probably best...given the Lestranges' position in the hierarchy, should Siri go through the Manor and her vaults looking for more? I think Luci gave Ginny the diary."

"That would be beneficial."


	17. 6 Dog Whisperer

_There's been a bit of a timeskip, here, as nothing really interesting would happen if PP was dealt with before POA, so the 1993-94 school year would just be another school year._

When the first of June rolled around, Harry had arranged to take a few of the NEWTs early, as he'd been accepted into medical college in Edinburgh. He was also helping Cedric prepare for the three A levels he'd take the week after school let out. Needless to say, they were both frantic, but Percy and Penny were just as crazy with the test anxiety, so no one had reason to complain.

Percy and Harry had just finished their Runes NEWT, and were thrilled to see that Cedric was waiting for them in the front hall with the Twins with a picnic basket.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you. This is just what the doctor ordered. I have just the Potions 6th-year exam left, so I'm taking the afternoon off. Any objections?"

"None—**whatsoever**—dear Harry—**you deserve it. Perhaps**—you should summon your harp—**and give us a little concert**—once your fingers—**aren't so numb**," the Twins said, switching off speaking, as usual.

After the five boys had settled in with their lemonade and sandwiches, Harry flopped down on the pile of outer robes.

"I'm so tired! 13-year-olds shouldn't be able to stay up for 30 hours straight. Does anyone mind if I take a little nap before I get out the harp?"

"Nah, we'll wake you in an hour," Cedric said, smiling at the goofy face Harry made as he tried to keep his eyes open.

The Weasley boys agreed, and George asked Percy about a concept in Potions that seemed counterintuitive. As Cedric and Fred went wading for good skipping stones and water plants, as Sev had told the twins he'd give them a sickle for every ounce of certain types of reeds and algaes they brought him in good condition.

When the hour had elapsed, Percy rubbed Harry's shoulder, as he did when he woke Ron or Ginny when they overslept.

"Harry, it's been a few minutes more than an hour. Feeling better?"

"Yeah. Ready for the concert, everyone?"

Pulling out the small case, luckily a journey-harp size, or it would still be bigger than him, rather than a bit taller than waist-high, he plucked a few notes to check the tuning, as he hadn't played in a few weeks with the exams approaching.

"I looked through my book, and I found a neat piece in the next power level set. Its an animal-charmer one, the key determines the animal, the power determines reach and size limits."

"Don't overwork yourself, Harry, maybe dogs, and just far enough to call Fang?" Fred suggested. "That's not too far, or too many within the radius, but he's big."

After thinking it over, Harry agreed. "Alright, then maybe I'll try for snakes or cats, lots of little animals, if I'm not too tired."

Bending his head, he started plucking a slow melody with one hand, the other punctuating with high notes. Within a few minutes, Fang and Belle had showed up and once they licked Harry's cheeks, they started begging for treats, so George and Cedric gave them each a slice of meat from the sandwiches so they'd settle down.

What shocked them wasn't how pretty the music was, or how rapt the two dogs seemed once they'd gotten treats and flopped down, but the appearance of Siri with a slightly glazed look. This occurrence surprised Harry enough he stopped playing, not liking the look on Siri's face.

When Siri's eyes didn't immediately clear, or respond to Fang and Belle nudging his hands for attention, Harry said, wavering, "Siri? Are you OK?"

Snapping out of his trance, Siri sat down and said, "I'm fine, Bambi. What was that song? It was pretty."

Percy seemed to have had an epiphany, "Have you been spending lots of time in your Animagus form lately, sir? That was a piece meant to call and calm dogs."

"That makes sense. And I had been Padfoot a lot. Its all over now, and just in time for the end of term! I was the lovable family pet for a family that needed security, while Kingsley was the visible protection. So yeah, I've been a dog for about half of the last 6 weeks."

AN: Sorry to everyone who had me on alerts and such, you've probably been spammed like mad, with all these changes. The word counts per year were such that it made sense to put all the 'run-up' in one story.


End file.
